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Scholarly Works (6 results)

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American Indian Culture and Research Journal , Volume 33, Issue 3 (2009)
To prepare for writing this article, we reviewed many academic tomes, from anthropology to zoology, and perused many decades’ worth of ethnographic studies of American Indian elders and elders from other groups around the world. We wanted not only to describe elderly American Indians but also to build the argument that elders are of critical importance for American Indian families and communities and have been of critical importance for tens of thousands of years. We wanted to construct the fundamental argument that in virtually all species with large brains and long childhoods, elders are of critical importance. This is as true in caribou as it is in humans; it is as true in American Indians as it is in whites, African Americans, and Asians. It is true because elders are the holders of ancient wisdom about the conduct and management of social behavior and about strategies for protecting the vulnerable from the problems that consistently arise in anyone’s life. In reviewing the literature, it was a bit startling to move from the period that encompassed the late 1800s to the 1940s. This literature includes strong and clear descriptions of the important role of American Indian elders, the wisdom of their words, and the respect that their position held; hundreds of detailed descriptions of the importance of the elders and their knowledge— how their wisdom saved their people—and stories of great personal self-sacrifice made by the elders in order to protect their people; and many discussions about the vast amount of time that elders put into nurturing and educating the young.
    Cover page: How Elders Guided the Evolution of the Modern Human Brain, Social Behavior, and CultureCreative Commons 'BY-NC' version 4.0 license
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    World Cultures eJournal, Volume 16, Issue 1 (2008)

    In this paper we use the cross-cultural record to identify the behavioral rules of conduct, and the system supporting those rules, that are found in traditional societies, such as tribal societies. We then draw on the historical record to identify the behavioral rules of conduct, and the system supporting those rules that were found in the early state. The proposal tested here is that in traditional societies the behavioral rules of conduct and the systems that support them (e.g., processes for identifying guilt, punishing offenders, enacting legislation, preventing conflict) are aimed at promoting enduring, cooperative relationships among individuals who are identified as kin through common ancestry. The assumption underlying this proposal is that once human females increased their investment in offspring, cultural strategies to protect those offspring became more important. A moral system, which is the term we use to refer to the early system of behavioral codes, protected offspring by turning conspecific threats into the protectors, providers, and educators of children. It did this by creating a strong kinship system, the members of which were bound by common ancestry (actual or metaphorical), thus tying individuals into enduring, cooperative relationships by using culture to encourage them to honor ongoing duties to one another. This kinship-based moral system is significantly different from that found in societies in which the majority of interactions are with non-kin, interactions often center on the exchange of good and services, and traditions have largely been broken down. We refer to this second system as a system of law and argue that this distinction between moral and legal systems has implications for attempts to explain the evolutionary basis of human cooperation.

      Cover page: The Words of Our Ancestors: Kinship, Tradition, and Moral Codes
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      Structure and Dynamics, Volume 1, Issue 2 (2005)

      Kinship has often been referred to as the heart of anthropology because societies are woven together by genealogical ties. In this paper we present a general model of the effect of the tradition of marriage on the potential number of individuals that can be identified as kin. The exact amount of increase in the number identifiable kin depends on demographic variables, but it will always be greater than the mere doubling of kin that might be first assumed. It is our hope that this model will stimulate discussions over whether or not such an increase in identified kin might have been important to human evolution, and if so, in what way and under what circumstances. Such discussions may help bridge the gap that has been created between those anthropologists who see kinship as fundamentally biological and those who see it as a purely cultural phenomenon.

        Cover page: More Kin: An Effect of the Tradition of Marriage
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        American Indian Culture and Research Journal , Volume 39, Issue 2 (2015)
        INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer endured by women on the Hopi Indian Reservation in northern Arizona. Women diagnosed with breast cancer and their family caregivers need knowledge of how other native women living on the reservation have successfully survived. Focus groups were used to explore local perceptions of breast cancer and breast cancer caregiving. Insights gained were incorporated into digital stories on a DVD designed for the Hopi Women’s Health Program (HWHP) as an educational and navigational tool for those receiving a mammogram, those newly diagnosed with breast cancer, their caregivers, and community members at large attending community health events. METHODS: Three separate focus groups representing three different sets of participants were conducted: Hopi female breast cancer survivors, caregivers of Hopi breast cancer survivors, and HWHP staff and community health workers (CHW). RESULTS: Based on three focus group outcomes, conceptual topics were identified and included in the stories created. Story topics were: HWHP information, breast cancer support systems, surviving breast cancer, treatment side effects, and family support. DISCUSSION: The strengths of the project included the development of a strong collaboration with the HWHP; the realization that focus groups are not an appropriate method for gathering personal information, particularly in a small community setting; the integration of local perspective in the creation of a health education tool, specifically the DVD of digital stories; and the successful application of a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach in a Native community. Digital stories created from this project have been used at local community events to educate about breast cancer and caregiving within the Hopi reservation. The primary limitation of the project was the small number of focus group participants.
          Cover page: Using a Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to Collect Hopi Breast Cancer Survivors' StoriesCreative Commons 'BY-NC' version 4.0 license
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2012)

          Objectives

          We examined how National Cancer Institute-funded Community Network Programs (CNPs) operationalized principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR).

          Methods

          We reviewed the literature and extant CBPR measurement tools. On the basis of that review, we developed a 27-item questionnaire for CNPs to self-assess their operationalization of 9 CBPR principles. Our team comprised representatives of 9 of the National Cancer Institute's 25 CNPs.

          Results

          Of the 25 CNPs, 22 (88%) completed the questionnaire. Most scored well on CBPR principles of recognizing community as a unit of identity, building on community strengths, facilitating colearning, embracing iterative processes in developing community capacity, and achieving a balance between data generation and intervention. CNPs varied in the extent to which they employed CBPR principles of addressing determinants of health, sharing power among partners, engaging the community in research dissemination, and striving for sustainability.

          Conclusions

          Although the development of assessment tools in this field is in its infancy, our findings suggest that fidelity to CBPR processes can be assessed in a variety of settings.
            Cover page: Operationalization of community-based participatory research principles: assessment of the national cancer institute's community network programs.Creative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
            • Article
            • Peer Reviewed
            UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2015)

            Background

            We describe reach, partnerships, products, benefits, and lessons learned of the 25 Community Network Programs (CNPs) that applied community-based participatory research (CBPR) to reduce cancer health disparities.

            Methods

            Quantitative and qualitative data were abstracted from CNP final reports. Qualitative data were grouped by theme.

            Results

            Together, the 25 CNPs worked with more than 2,000 academic, clinical, community, government, faith-based, and other partners. They completed 211 needs assessments, leveraged funds for 328 research and service projects, trained 719 new investigators, educated almost 55,000 community members, and published 991 articles. Qualitative data illustrated how use of CBPR improved research methods and participation; improved knowledge, interventions, and outcomes; and built community capacity. Lessons learned related to the need for time to nurture partnerships and the need to attend to community demand for sustained improvements in cancer services.

            Implications

            Findings demonstrate the value of government-supported, community-academic, CBPR partnerships in cancer prevention and control research.
              Cover page: The National Cancer Institute's Community Networks Program Initiative to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities: Outcomes and Lessons LearnedCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
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